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Saturday 30 January 2016

MALAY HOUSE OF KEDAH


The definition of traditional is attitudes and ways of thinking and acting that always cling to existing custom from generation to generation. The custom is the rule and cultural practice which grows and develops in a community or region, and considered valuable by the community. Generally, culture is defined as a result of the development of intellect and human effort in meeting the needs of life.

Generally, the house was made of wood and supported by pillars. The walls were made of wood or woven bamboo or rattan, while roofing was thatch or wood. Building materials were wood, rattan, roots, bamboo, and leaves from nearby forest resources. Wood became the main building material especially for building structure, while rattan and roots being binders, wood and betel nut stems were created as floor, bamboo and thatched leaves into the walls and roof.

Malay architecture is the result of the convergence of folk culture that once dominated the region such as, Bugis, Bali, Java, Aceh, Minagkabau, Thai, Chinese, and Western.


Malay architecture is greatly affected by climate and weather. Hence, the traditional Malay houses are almost always raised on timber stilts or pile to elevate and protect the building from floods and also serve as a source of natural ventilation. No nails are ever used in a traditional Malay house as pre-cut holes and grooves were used to fit the timber together. Roofs of these houses are typically steep and have wide overhangs for shading and protection from tropical downpours.
There are usually 2 parts to a traditional Malay house: the main house (Rumah Ibu) and the kitchen annex (Rumah Dapur). The Rumah Dapur is separated from the Rumah Ibu for fire protection as the bulk of the buildings are made from timber. One or more verandas (Serambi) are attached to the Rumah Ibu for seated work, relaxation, or where non-familiar visitors would be entertained, thus preserving the privacy of the interior.Aesthetics of these houses differ between states and ethnic groups. For example, in Melaka the staircase is always decoratively moulded and colourfully tiled.
The design and form of the traditional Malay house is to provide a total control on three climatic factors namely wind, rain and sun. It should allow adequate ventilation for cooling and reducing humidity, control direct solar radiation, control glare from the open sky and surrounding, protect it from the rain and ensure adequate natural vegetation in the surroundings to provide a cooler environment. The materials used for the house should be with low thermal capacity so that little heat is transmitted in the house.
The traditional Malay house is geared towards providing effective ventilation, taking into account the aspects as listed above. True to the needs of shelter, the traditional Malay house is formed based on the ventilation and solar radiation control to provide climatic comfort for the house. These are the most effective means for climatic comfort in a house in the warm and humid Malaysian climate and environment.
The design and form of the traditional Malay house is to provide a total control on three climatic factors namely wind, rain and sun. It should allow adequate ventilation for cooling and reducing humidity, control direct solar radiation, control glare from the open sky and surrounding, protect it from the rain and ensure adequate natural vegetation in the surroundings to provide a cooler environment. 

The materials used for the house should be with low thermal capacity so that little heat is transmitted in the house.
The traditional Malay house is geared towards providing effective ventilation, taking into account the aspects as listed above. True to the needs of shelter, the traditional Malay house is formed based on the ventilation and solar radiation control to provide climatic comfort for the house. These are the most effective means for climatic comfort in a house in the warm and humid Malaysian climate and environment.


Introduction

The architectural design of traditional Malay house is very unique on it own. Once look at 11 of them, its look alike but the styles is vary from state to state. The different especially the design of the house can be found easily. History and cultural factors influenced a lot in designing and setting traditional Malay house. In the early years, most of the traditional Malay house was build near streams and along the coast. Besides as a shelter, it is to fulfill the needs of life such as drawing water for drinking, bathing and washing. The location of the house makes the people aware for flash floods and high tides. Most of the house were raised off the ground on tree trunk or bamboo post which known as stilts because of the reason. 


Building on stilts was not only dictated by the need to protect against floods but it also afforded protection from ants, snakes and wild animals. Beside that it is used as utility area, serving as storage and ‘workshop space’ for the family. The traditional Malay house belongs to the Malays. This paper will look on Traditional Malay house in Peninsular Malaysia only since Malays can be find a lot in peninsular. Basically the Traditional Malay House can be identified based on the state where the houses are located and this house has been zoned into 4 areas. The zone has been identified referred to the feature of the house due to the historical ties especially migrant effects.


The Basic Design of Traditional Malay House 


The Malays tradition affects a lot in Traditional Malay house design. The house has at least two entrances. The main entrance at the front always been used by visitors and males but entrance at the back one mostly used by women and children. The house is divided into three main areas, the ‘serambi’ (verandah), ‘rumah ibu’ (main house) and ‘dapur’ (kitchen). To separate the area, one slight floor level changes or doorways have been made between the areas. Besides the three main areas, some of the houses have the ‘anjung’ and passageway. 

The ‘anjung’ is a covered porch where used as a relax area for family members or guest. A passageway known as the ‘selang’ links the main house to the kitchen and provides an effective firebreak between the areas in the house. Most of the traditional Malay houses are constructed by local carpenters or by the owners themselves. The design and material used for traditional Malay house highly influences by socioeconomic, cultural and environmental needs. Most of the material used is readily available local material such as timber, bamboo and palm.


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